iOS Musician

If you use your iPad to produce complete tracks, using MIDI to control synthesizers instead of recording them and import the recordings to a DAW app allows you to not only change the notes they play, but lets you to control the knobs and sliders in the synth throughout you track. This provides for a much more productive (and VST like) workflow as you won’t have to rerecord synths if you change any of their settings or try and record the knob/slider changes yourself – but you’ll still be able to process the synth in a DAW app thanks to Audiobus. Here’s a tutorial on how to use BeatMaker 2‘s MIDI editor and MIDI learn functionality to control a synthesizer app…

1. Open Audiobus and select BeatMaker 2 for the output and a synth with MIDI learn for the input. So far I’ve tested this process so far with Magellan, Magellan Jr, Sunrizer, Sunrizer XS, and Arctic Keys. (If you discover of any other synth apps that can do this, please leave a comment below!)
2. First, in BM2 add a keyboard sampler track. When prompted to load in a sample set, select “Empty Preset” – we’ll just be using BM2′s sample synth as a MIDI controller.
   
3. Tap on the MIDI options in for the keyboard sampler you just created:
   and set the MIDI input and output channels are the same:
4. In BeatMaker 2 open the ‘MIDI Setup’ menu (tap the home button in the upper left, settings icon, and ‘MIDI Setup’):
   Make sure that the synth you’re using is turned on under input and output.
5. If you’re using Magellan, go to the preferences tab, open the MIDI learn menu, tap the ‘MIDI Destination’ you want to assign, then tap ‘Learn.’
6. If you’re using Sunrizer, tap the ‘Learn’ button and then the knob/slider you wish to control:
7. Switch back to the BM2 and open the sample synth settings:
   Twist one of the knobs in the the BM2 sample synth (since we’re only using BM2 as a MIDI controller it doesn’t matter which one – but be sure to make a mental note of the one you assign).
   Now if you switch back to Magellan, the MIDI CC number for the knob you turned in BM2 will be shown in the CC Map!
8. Switch back to BM2 and open up the MIDI editor. Select the parameter from the edit menu that you assigned to the knob in Magellan, and draw in some MIDI:

   Note: You may want to narrow the grid size to 1/96 instead of the default 1/16, to get more of a smooth control over the synths knobs.

   
   Woohoo! Now BM2 is controlling Magellan’s knobs via virtual MIDI!

If you found this tutorial useful, help support the iOS Musician Blog by purchasing featured apps (you intend on buying) via the links on the site!

BeatMaker 2 on the
Magellan on the
Magellan Jr on the
Sunrizer for iPad on the
Sunrizer XS on the
Arctic Keys on the

See also: Video: BeatMaker 2 Sunrizer Funkbox and Audiobus – Live APP Mixing

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